What is vasculitis?
It is an inflammatory disease of the veins. It is the inflammation that develops in the vessels that are responsible for the nutrition of organs and tissues and the circulation required for their functions, due to autoimmune causes, and damage to these tissues. Vasculitides can sometimes be limited to a single organ or tissue, such as leukocytoclastic vasculitis limited to the skin. Or they can be life-threatening by affecting both the arteries and veins, both large-scale and capillary levels, causing failure in many organs, such as: Wegener's granulomatosis, Churge-Strauss vasculitis, Polyarteritis Nodosa, Takayasu' vasculitis. They can cause a wide variety of symptoms: numbness in the hands and feet, skin rash, shortness of breath, cough, bleeding with urine or stool, eye redness, sudden loss of vision, sudden paralysis, edema, etc.
What causes vasculitis? What causes vasculitis? What causes vasculitis? What causes vasculitis?
What causes vasculitis? What causes vasculitis?
It is known that genetic factors are very important in the development of vasculitis. However, the fact that predisposed genes suddenly start producing proteins that cause disease development depends on factors such as environmental factors, which we call epigenetic factors, smoking, and Hepatitis B and C virus infection. The gene region, which was not active until then, starts to work by being triggered by the epigenetic factor, and since the protein structures it produces are perceived as foreign by our immune system, they are tried to be eliminated, which causes inflammation to begin and develop.
Who gets vasculitis? Who gets vasculitis?
It can be seen in all genders and all age groups. Some types may be more common at certain ages or genders. For example, Kawasaki Disease is more common in the childhood age group, and Temporal arteritis is more common in the older age group.
How is vasculitis diagnosed?
A good history taking and examination is the basic diagnostic method. . Blood tests, advanced imaging tests and tissue biopsy may be required to support this. These tests are necessary both to classify vasculitis and to determine the organs and systems it affects. Our treatment will be shaped according to these data. Classification of vasculitis is generally made according to the size of the affected vessel. Large vessel vasculitides: temporal arteritis and Takayasu, middle vein r vasculitides: polyarteritis nodosa, Kawasaki disease, small vessel vasculitides: ANCA-related vasculitides (such as Wegener's Granulomatosis, Churge Strauss Syndrome, microscopic polyangiitis), vasculitides developing secondary to other rheumatic diseases and cancer, vasculitides involving all vessel types: Behçet's disease, remaining in a single organ area vasculitides: isolated central nervous system vasculitis… etc.
How are vasculitides treated?
As soon as vasculitis is diagnosed, the first agent to be given is cortisone preparations. These are the drugs that will most quickly prevent the progression of the disease and the development of organ-tissue damage. After vasculitis is typified and the affected organ-tissue distribution is determined, one or more of the long-acting agents we call DMARDs can be selected. Surgical intervention may be required in some cases of vasculitis, albeit rare. Since there is a wide range of organ system involvements that can be affected by diseases under the title of vasculitis, it is very important that patients are closely monitored, use medications regularly, and do not reduce medication doses or stop medications completely without consulting a doctor. It is very important that they make all the necessary and recommended life changes to live a healthy life.
Vasculitis
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